


A Fire Burning In The Rain

by seeingkay (ForestOfGreed)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor!Harry, Actor!Louis, Alternate Universe - Movie Stars, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-06 15:02:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/737010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestOfGreed/pseuds/seeingkay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on the movie stars!AU by princeharrehs on tumblr</p><p>Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles land the same movie.<br/>They like to keep people guessing about what happens after that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Movie Stars AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/19199) by princeharrehs. 



> Thank you to the wonderful princeharrehs on tumblr for letting me use his brainchild!
> 
> I don't know if I want any side pairings, but leave any suggestions if you have them!

His agent called him at 7:00 in the morning.

  
Louis just pulled the covers over his head and prayed his phone would magically silence. It didn’t. His cell phone played that damned Beiber song (Niall had set it as a joke and Louis never got around to changing it) three more times until he finally answered it.

  
“What could you possibly want that couldn’t wait a few more hours?” he groaned into the phone.

  
“I’m offended, Louis. I would think you’d want to hear my lovely voice at any hour of the day.”

  
“I’ve known you for too many years. I’m tired of it by now, Perrie.” His words held no heat. This was a long-practiced routine between the two.

  
“Rude.”

  
Perrie and Louis met in sixth form in a way only two very similar people could. That is, Perrie found Louis about to hook up with her ex-boyfriend at a party. With her own boy toy trailing behind her in the doorway of the bedroom. Being who she is, instead of getting mad, Perrie sent Louis a wink and some words of wisdom.

  
“Great dick, but he’s got no idea what foreplay is.” And she promptly turned on her heel and walked out (her boy toy following her like a starved puppy).

  
Needless to say, Louis fell in deep, platonic love. They became inseparable (people started wondering if Louis really was gay, but then he’d come to school in a ripped shirt and jeans so tight they looked like skin), so when Louis decided to audition for a minor part in some action flick, Perrie announced her intention to “accompany him on his journey to fame” since she was positive he’d get the role.

  
She was right. Perrie was the one who pushed Louis to pursue acting, so as his then-agent helped him build a presence in movies and television, Perrie sped through a degree in communications. She charmed her way into getting Louis an audition for a supporting role in Ang Lee’s next work of genius, and Louis promptly replaced his then-agent with Perrie.

  
At age twenty, Louis Tomlinson won his first Oscar for that performance.

  
But as much as he loved Perrie, Louis was not a morning person, and he saw no reason for her to have woken him up at such an ungodly hour.

  
“So, tell me, Lou-Bear, who have you desperately wanted to work with?”

  
“Andrew Garfield?”

  
“Better.”

  
“Natalie Portman?” Louis really hoped she’d say yes because _shit_ , Natalie Portman. Perrie chuckled in amusement.

  
“Even better.” He was getting tired of the guessing game.

  
“Daniel Day-Lewis, now tell me who it is because I _know_ there’s no way I’m working with that big of a name.”

  
“Aw, you ruin all my fun!” He could hear her pout over the phone (and that was when Louis lamented the fact that they'd known each other _way_ too long). “Come on, I’ll give you some hints. What young, attractive actor has recently been cast in a big sci-fi action movie directed by someone with the name of Christopher Nolan…?” Louis shot up into a sitting position as comprehension dawned.

  
“No.” Perrie gave a hum of affirmation. “No, Perrie, I can’t _believe_ you! There’s no way I managed to land that part, I was up against _Daniel Radcliffe_ ,” he said, voice rising in pitch as his disbelief continued. He only got Perrie’s tinkling laughter in response.

  
“They liked you better, Lou, I’m serious!”

  
“Harry Styles? Perrie, he’s fucking Hollywood royalty!”

  
“And well-fit, too,” she quipped back at him. “Knew you’d freak out.” Louis wanted to throw his phone is Perrie’s no doubt smug face. “I’ll come over with the script at 8:00, try to finish your panic attack by then,” she said. “Oh, and there’s already rumours about your casting online. You might get a kick out of the articles,” she added before hanging up.

  
Louis pulled up his laptop and searched himself along with “harry styles” and “christopher nolan”. He clicked on the first result, which was a Perez article.

 

 

**Louis Tomlinson Rumored to Work on "Syndicate"!**

Have our prayers been answered? Maybe! Earlier this month, Christopher Nolan's big new blockbuster found one of its leads in the Prince of Hollywood, Harry Styles. If you remember, back in October, hotshot Louis Tomlinson mentioned he would love to work with Styles. Of course, we jumped on the idea! Now, sources are saying Tomlinson auditioned for the other lead in "Syndicate", and that he's probably got the part! Does this mean we'll get a "Larry Stylinson" movie? Two hot, young, LGBT actors working together? I'm on board!

 

It really hit him then.  _He was going to work with Harry Styles._

Harry Styles had been in the industry since he was a tiny thing in diapers with a head of curls. His mother's side had a long line of performance artists - singers, actors, theater stars, anything and everything under the sun. Acting was in his fucking genes. If anyone was born to perform, it was Harry Styles. And he was  _good_ , amazing even. He was only 21, and he already had two Oscars, three Golden Globes, and god knows how many other awards. And everyone he worked with raved about how sweet, how genuine his personality was. He did wonders for the LGBT community when he came out as bisexual a few years ago (and then promptly shut the haters up by winning his first Oscar).

Louis was probably a bit obsessed with him, but Harry Styles had the face of an angel and Louis really wanted to taint him with sin.

Perrie arrived at 8:00 exactly. Louis wondered what it said about him that he still had trouble with getting anywhere on time but Perrie had grown out of the habit.

It was probably some metaphor for their entire relationship.

The first thing Louis did when he saw Perrie (she had a key because Louis and Perrie were too used to living out of each other's pockets) was pick her up and plant a smacking kiss on her cheek. She laughed with glee as she pushed at his chest to make him put her down.

"I better get something good from you for making this happen!" Louis looked her dead in the eye.

"I can give you my body or a car." Perrie contorted her face so that it looked like a thousand demons had begun killing puppies in front of her eyes.

"Ew, shopping spree is good enough. Might take you up on that car, though." Louis smirked in response. "So, since both of us can barely make toast, where shall we go to breakfast to discuss your schedule?"

\--

"You've got about a week before shooting starts. Plenty of time to memorize this monster," Perrie said, pulling out the script. Louis eyed it suspiciously. "Before you say anything, keep in mind this is a Nolan film, it's bound to be a bit dialogue heavy. It's still an action flick, though."

Louis flipped through the script quickly, noticing the quirks that would attract audiences but still give the movie some meaning. Typical Oscar bait.

"And," Perrie continued, "you'll need to get in shape because there's no doubt you'll be taking your shirt off for this one. Don't give me that look, Tomlinson, I expect to see some abs by the end of the week." It's not that Louis was  _out of shape_ , but he did have a bit of a tummy. The last time he had to take his shirt off was for some photoshoot months ago.

It wasn't his fault he liked pasta.

"They aren't even going to have me read with Harry before we start?" he asked. "It's not like we're guaranteed to have good chemistry." It hurt a bit to point out, but Louis had worked on enough sets to know chemistry between the leads was paramount to a successful movie. And even if  _he_ thought he was meant to act with Harry, it didn't mean it was true. Perrie shrugged.

"Turns out, Styles saw your audition and actually told the casting guys he'd prefer you over the others." Louis blinked at her in surprise. "Added to the fact you've publicly stated you'd like to work with him, I don't think they're too worried you guys won't get along." It was as good of an explanation as any, but Louis didn't really understand what made him stand out to someone like Harry, who'd worked with people like Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo diCaprio.

Truth be told, he was fairly nervous about working on such a huge production with such huge names attached to it. Who was he to work with Christopher Nolan? His stomach turned even as Louis sipped at his juice. Perrie took his hand from across the table.

"Hey, stop it." Louis raised an eyebrow at her, a look he had spent hours in front of a mirror practicing back when he was in secondary school.

"You don't-"

"Of course I know what you're thinking, Lou. And you're forgetting that your name is just as good as anyone else's on this film." Louis shook his head because yeah right, he was just some kid with a lot of luck. "No, don't even begin to think you don't have just as much of a right to claim fame. You're crazy talented, Louis, there's no way you would have gotten this far otherwise." She gave his hand a tight, comforting squeeze before letting go. Louis returned her gesture with a small smile (he didn't know how much of his expression was acting, though, because he knew his insecurities would never go away).

"Alright then, I have to go tell Niall and Zayn the news before they find out on Twitter or something," Louis said as they both got up to leave the diner. Perrie nodded a bit absently.

"I'll call you later about a celebration? Just us four on a night out." Louis agreed happily. "Great! It'll be the perfect event before you have to go through hell with your personal trainer starting tomorrow!"

Louis groaned and punched Perrie in the arm.

"I take it all back, you aren't getting a car."


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Louis meets Harry, is traumatized by peanut butter (maybe), gets drunk, and almost disturbs some neighbors. Not necessarily in that order.

It wasn't even noon yet, so Zayn and Niall were unlikely to be awake. Louis, however, was well-versed in the workings of his friends, and so had several methods prepared to wake them.

Method One: Pound on the door and scream their names obnoxiously.

The downside to this method was that it ran the risk of waking Zayn and Niall's neighbors. But Louis didn't really care for them much, and, in fact, had executed this method so many times the neighbors could often still sleep through the racket.

"Niall, get your Irish ass up, I've got some news! Zayn, wake up! I don't care if you haven't prettified yourself, it just means your hair isn't as flammable!"

Of course, Louis could only make so much noise for so long. Method One required a precise sense of time, and what was considered an acceptable amount of time to make noise. He had to time it exactly so that he didn't yell for long enough to wake the neighbors, but also utilized the maximum amount of time to wake Zayn or Niall.

He was particularly careful to develop the skill after he had to apologize profusely to an irate mother with two screaming children on her hands.

Unfortunately, neither Zayn nor Niall opened the door, so Louis moved further into his repertoire.

Method Two: Ring the doorbell multiple times.

Once, when Louis was explaining his methods to Perrie, she asked why he didn't try Method Two first. In response, Louis regaled her with a tale he liked to tell Zayn's new friends when he made the mistake of introducing them to Louis, otherwise known as the story of May 2012. It was a respectable 9:00 AM on a Saturday. Niall was staying at Ed's place for some songwriting spree or whatever the fuck you called three days straight of Red Bull and guitars. Louis had just gotten back from filming in America and was jet-lagged and needed someone to hang out with to keep him awake (Perrie was visiting family at this time). So, of course, he headed straight to Zayn because not many of his friends lived in London and, honestly, Louis really hated people sometimes so he didn't have many close friends to begin with.

Louis had yet to develop his system for waking Zayn and/or Niall, so he proceeded in a logical manner - he rang the doorbell. At that moment, all Louis could hear was barking (which was strange because Zayn and Niall didn't own a dog), muffled screams and curses, and something crashing inside the house. The door was opened by some girl wrapped in a bedsheet with peanut butter in her hair.

"Um." Louis hadn't known what to say, so he just stood there and stared at the girl. All that really distinguished her was her  _very_ bright neon blue hair.

"Sorry, can't come in, sorry! You're looking for Zayn, yeah? Come back in a couple hours?" the girl said in a rush, and promptly shut the door in Louis's face. It opened back up for just long enough for her to add, "Don't call the cops, we're okay, yeah?"

He just headed home that day and slept for fifteen uninterrupted hours. He never did ask Zayn what went on that lovely Saturday. He started avoiding peanut butter after that, too.

But the event was strange enough for Louis to realize the doorbell probably wasn't the best first method. As it was though, he already announced his presence through Method One, which was hopefully enough warning to Zayn and Niall so that there wasn't a repeat of May 2012.

He waited a few moments, but no one opened the door. Sighing, he took out his mobile for Method Three.

Method Three: Call Niall.

He never called Zayn because most times, Zayn was completely unreachable. Even Niall, who worked with him and probably saw Zayn the most out of anyone else in the world, didn't know where he was a good 20% of the time. Sometimes Louis wondered if Zayn himself even knew where he was half the time. Zayn almost never answered his phone, and somehow he managed to travel entire cities without a single picture taken, despite how many fans he had.

Louis really needed to get his secret sometime.

However, there was still a good chance Zayn and Niall were together. And considering the two needed to stay in London for a couple events anyways, both were most likely home. Louis just hoped Niall would wake up at his ringtone - it wasn't as if Niall was a particularly light sleeper.

The dial tone rang, and Louis waited...and waited...and only got Niall's cheerful voicemail.

Well, Method Four was at least fail-safe, even if it was a bit of a last resort.

Method Four: Break in.

Not so much "break in" as "enter without permission", really. And Louis had been over enough times for the place to practically be a second home (sometimes, he felt a bit lonely in his house, especially after some of his worse splits from relationships). Zayn and Niall weren't exactly the most attentive people (neither was Louis, but he had Perrie to make up for all of that), so they tended to forget their keys. This wasn't really a problem if they were together, because one of them would usually have it, but after one too many times where they were locked out (and subsequently ended up crashing at Louis's) because the other had pulled on a night out, they gave Louis a key. They figured at least  _one_ of them would have a key at any time (usually Louis because he lived alone and just kept all his keys together). And Louis already had the codes to their security system, so why not go all the way (and that was basically a motto all three tended to follow in any given situation)? _  
_

So Louis entered the house, not bothering to be quiet because he was going to wake them anyways. Then again...

He crept in Niall's room (and Louis will always wonder how the Irishman slept so heavily but woke up at the faintest hint of food) and burst into a grin at the sight of Niall's phone by his bed. He opened up flashlight apps on both his and Niall's phone (Louis saw the code inputed enough times to memorize it - memorization was always a strong suit for him) and held the lights up in front of Niall's eyes.

"Hey, watch for the bus!" he screamed.

Niall shot up and jumped out of bed, flipping in the air on his way to the ground. He sat up with wide and panicked eyes, the bedsheet tangled up in his limbs. He recovered though and switched to a glare at Louis, who was laughing like a crazed hyena.

"Jesus Christ, Lou!" Louis was still laughing, even as he dodged the pillow Niall threw at his face. Zayn walked into the room, eyes half-open, obviously newly awoken from his slumber.

"What's going on, Louis? What time is it even?" he drawled, leaning against the wall.

"Does it matter? I've not seen you two since last week! Can't I just pay a visit to my closest friends?" Louis whined, pouting at Zayn. Zayn returned with a skeptical expression and nodded slowly.

"Okay, but you would have come later in the day if that were true, you usually sleep just as late as we do when you can." Louis shrugged at the very valid point. Niall finally untangled himself from his bedsheets and walked over to where Louis was standing.

"Obviously you've got some news," he started in his Irish brogue, "because you're awake before noon and you're not filming anything. So Perrie probably woke you up for something important, because she definitely tries to avoid morning Louis if she can." Louis grimaced.

"I'm not that-"

"No, mate, you definitely are that bad when you don't want to wake up," Zayn interrupted. "So? What's going on?" Louis beamed. Even though he considered himself a bit obsessed, Zayn and Niall really were fans of Harry Styles. Even though they were in the music industry, they really loved films, and were just as able to recognize talent in that respect.

Louis met Zayn and Niall at a bar they were playing at back in 2010, about a year after he met Perrie. They weren't anywhere near famous back then, had really just been two mates that loved music and didn't want to do anything else. But Louis latched onto their performance the moment Zayn opened his mouth to start the song.

He could tell there was something special about the two. If Perrie was certain Louis would be a brilliant actor, Louis was sure Zayn and Niall would be brilliant musicians. Immediately after the two left the tiny stage (not even that, it was more of a raised platform, barely enough room for the two), Louis came up to them and said, "That was absolutely amazing, you two'll be famous one day, could I get a picture?"

And, well, that was enough to shock Zayn and Niall into a conversation. They liked Louis's quick wit and Louis liked how easygoing the two were. Looking back, part of their easy camaraderie was probably the fact they were heading in similar directions, even if they didn't know it at the time.

By the end of the night, the three had exchanged numbers and promises to meet up again. When he got home, Louis searched the duo up on Youtube and spent a good hour going through their channel and listening to their videos. He really became their biggest fan, especially after they met and easily got along with Perrie.

Louis was even the one to push them to choose a name for their act.

"You can't just go around calling yourselves 'Zayn and Niall' or 'Niall and Zayn'!" he had cried with his natural dramatics. "You've got to have some sort of brand, some trademark name that your fans can use!" Niall had chuckled, saying,

"We don't really have many fans, Lou." But Zayn gave it some thought, scrunching his face a little (Louis almost cried at how beautiful he looked even when his face was smushed because  _how_ ).

"You know Harry Styles?" he had started tentatively. Louis had given him a small smirk because he didn't really expect Zayn and Niall to like movies, but he was proven wrong every day, so what did he know? "There's something he once said that I've always liked. 'People in the industry, the ones with love and talent, they're all moving towards the same goal, in just one direction.' Maybe that'd be a good name? One Direction?"

And so Zayn and Niall became One Direction, thanks to a quote by a teenage, acne-plagued Harry Styles (not that it really detracted from his attractiveness at the time).

Around the time when Louis began to really pursue acting, One Direction went on X Factor. Louis was there the entire time, if not physically, then definitely through phone calls and Skype. Even though Zayn and Niall felt like they'd get eliminated every week, they kept making it through, and developed a sizable fan base (they were young, attractive lads with smooth voices, of course they were popular). And then they made it through to the final.

Turned out, Harry Styles was a fan of X Factor, and he publicly declared his support of One Direction on Twitter. Zayn might have screamed into his pillow when he found out.

They came in third, but still got signed to Syco, Simon Cowell's record label. Their popularity only shot up from there.

Louis would always be thankful his own fame mirrored his friends' (because he had his insecurities, and he never wanted to be left behind by the people he loved). One Direction nor Louis had ever met Harry (though he supposed that would be rectified soon), but both One Direction and Harry had mentioned the other artist as a personal favorite.

It was with this information in mind that Louis prepared to announce his news.

"My dear friends, you know the movie I auditioned for a while ago?" Niall perked up.

"Did you get it? That's great, Lou!" Louis held up his hand in a "wait" motion.

"Not only did I get the part, but guess who my director and co-star are?" Zayn's jaw dropped. Louis nodded smugly. "Christopher Nolan, the man behind some of the biggest blockbusters, and-"

"Harry Styles! Jesus, Lou, I can't believe you're gonna be in the same movie as him! You'll introduce us, right?" Zayn looked at him with the expression only a fan could have (Louis would know, his face was probably something similar when Perrie gave him the call). Louis gave him a mock-offended look.

"Of course, who do you think I am? I've exploited you guys too much not to return the favor." Niall tackled Louis to the bed, and Zayn jumped on top, resulting in a pile of laughing limbs. "We're going out to celebrate tonight with Perrie, okay?"

Zayn and Niall just grinned.

\--

 Louis might've been-

was probably-

could've been a little-

okay was  _definitely_ drunk. Not so pissed that he wouldn't remember the night, but certainly not sober enough to control his thoughts and actions. But he was having fun, and that's all that mattered in the end. Zayn and Niall begged off early because they had some recording to do early in the morning. Perrie had been on the dance floor with Louis the last time he saw her, but he lost sight of her among all the moving bodies.

Still, he loved the party atmosphere. It was his natural state, almost. His body wanted to move to the beat of the music, and the people around him were comfortable, not stifling. It was easy for him to lose himself in the music and just imagine he could just dance forever.

He felt hands wrap around his hips from behind and felt a hot breath on his neck.

"Hi there," Louis said, pressing into the man. Hey, he wasn't one to turn down a good dance, and he could  _feel_ those abs against his back.

"Oops," he said and  _damn_ that voice, deep and smooth, was absolutely dripping sex. "Seems I've stumbled on something beautiful." And it was not fair that didn't sound cheesy at all.

"Cute," Louis replied, cheeky. "Bet you say that to all the boys you meet in a club." The stranger chuckled.

"Nah, none of them have been near as fit as you. So what's someone like you doing here on a Thursday night?" The guy lowered his head so that his lips were just brushing Louis's neck and  _wow_  those curls just begged to be ran through with Louis's fingers. "Kind of empty tonight." Louis placed one hand on the man's neck and turned into the head of curls, closer to his ears.

"Don't think you're one to talk. What's your name, Curly?" Their hips ground together and the stranger's hands ran up and down Louis's sides. Louis turned around as the curls moved up and off his neck. He sucked in a breath.

Green,  _so green_ , eyes (a little hint of surprise in them, but Louis was too drunk to notice) set in an angel's face. Louis felt the temptation of sin run through his body, and he shivered just so slightly because there were those lips, lips so red and looking like they'd been bitten and kissed for hours and _how was that natural_? Tattoos lined his left arm and a hint of ink peeked out of the top of his shirt and Louis imagined running his hands down those muscles and seeing the entire tattoo on his chest and tracing it with his teeth and kissing the words he  _knows_  are on his hip.

"I'm Harry." And god he should have recognized that deep voice that made him feel too hot and want to strip down to nothing.

"Louis," he breathed out. "Think you already know that, though." His voice was slightly shaky but if anything, Louis knew how to talk (he really just wanted to listen to Harry's slow speech and maybe hear what it sounded like wrecked and soaked with heat and sin) and he was a damn actor, he could paste a smirk on his face.

Harry hummed noncommittally and pulled Louis closer (and wow, he hadn't even noticed they were still attached), grinding his hips a bit.

"Well, it's always great to meet a new costar," he said in a low voice next to Louis's ear. That voice was going to be the death of him. "Especially one as fit as you." Louis laughed softly, threading his hands through Harry's dark curls.

"That so?"

"Mhmm."

They didn't say anything for a bit, just moved with each other. Louis could feel himself begin to want to lose himself against Harry's body (and he could feel the heat rising and the sin building and the want almost overwhelming him), and he knew they had to stop, because it wasn't the best idea to sleep with your costar when you were both a bit drunk (but  _oh_ how much he wanted to).

Louis said softly, almost whispered into Harry's ear, "This probably isn't a good idea." Harry pulled back a bit and touched his forehead to Louis's, eyes closed. For a moment, Louis thought he wouldn't say anything.

"No, you're right," Harry said. "It's not a good idea." And Louis could hear the underlying  _but I wish it was_. Harry pulled back completely and Louis had to force himself not to follow (his body cooled and he shivered again, but now he felt cold along his entire body where Harry was pressed up against). Harry's face was flushed and his pupils were blown wide (touched by just the hint of sin) and Louis really just wanted to pull him back in and feel his body fit right up against Harry's again.

Harry smiled at him, a bit sadly (but with mischief twinkling in his eyes), and kissed Louis on the cheek.

"See you around, yeah?" His hot breath brushed Louis (the place he kissed burned with the promise of fire and sin) and Louis swallowed a bit.

"Yeah," he answered, a bit dazed. "See you around."

Louis left the club that night sure of only one thing.

Perrie was right in that they'd have no trouble with chemistry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've made a fic blog for this fic! ----> afbitr.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shooting starts and Louis and Harry reach an agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School starts up again next week, so updates will be more spread out. I'll try to get them done once a week, but I can't promise anything :( Sorry!

“I think I’m going to throw up and curl in a corner and die,” Louis groaned, collapsing face-first onto Perrie’s bed. She swatted at him.

“Ew, get your sweaty bum off my bed and go take a shower.” Louis rolled over onto his back and stared at the white ceiling.

“Nope, I refuse, exercise has been the bane of my existence. I’m in that limbo state where I don’t see my life flashing before my eyes, but I can see the light.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Louis.” He glared at Perrie. He was an actor, and a damn good one at that. He was paid to be dramatic – he wasn’t going to stop just because he wasn’t in front of a camera. “You’ll be grateful when you have to take your shirt off in front of Styles.” Louis turned his gaze back to the ceiling. He wouldn’t give Perrie the satisfaction of seeing him blush. “Shooting starts tomorrow, you excited?”

“That’s one way to put it,” Louis muttered. “But yeah, I guess. Script’s amazing, you know?” He sat up and properly faced Perrie. “With Nolan directing, I think it’ll get at least one Oscar nod, as long as us actors don’t fuck it up _too_ badly.” Perrie looked at him with fond eyes tinted with a hint of sadness.

“Oh, stop it, the cast is brilliant. _You’re_ brilliant.” Louis didn’t say anything in response, just stood up and moved towards the closet where he always kept some of his clothes (he stayed at Perrie’s so much it was only practical).

“We’ll go watch Zayn and Niall record today? They invited us because they want us to hear some of their new stuff,” Louis said, too casually, as he moved into the bathroom.

He didn’t wait for Perrie’s answer before he shut the door.

\--

It wasn’t as if Louis wasn’t confident in his acting abilities. He had to have confidence in the film industry because there would always be the critics, both nice and not-so-nice. People analyzed his every move, whether he just took a plane to Cancun or took a walk to the drugstore. Louis had to be so aware of anyone he talked to because one wrong move could spark a whole slew of rumors that wouldn’t subside for weeks.

He just got tired sometimes, is all.

Because beyond the professional critics, there was the general public, full of people who had no reservations in calling him names and mocking a performance. When Louis rose to prominence, he made no efforts to hide his sexuality, but he never really stated it outright either. So sometimes he’d go with some friends on a night out, and the next day there would be pictures of him with one of the girls he knew and speculation over his love life.

So he officially came out during his Oscar acceptance speech. But that brought a whole new kind of criticism. Anyone would have begun to doubt themselves a bit (especially someone like Louis, who probably had a few issues). It took a bit of time for Louis to learn how to ignore some of the hate (not all, that was impossible for him), but he worked hard and took on as many roles as he could in order to occupy himself and prove the critics wrong.

Louis tried to remember Perrie’s words and her insistence that he deserved the part as he shook hands with Christopher Nolan. He was still a little star-struck, though.

It was always a strange feeling whenever he started a new film, in Louis’s opinion. Any actor walked onto a set knowing the people he saw would become family in just a few months. Louis didn’t really manage to keep in contact with many of the actors he had worked with, but there were some he loved like a sibling (he distinctly remembered striking up a friendship with Joseph Gordon-Levitt back when he first started getting the really big roles).

But he always felt a bit weird meeting those people for the first time with that knowledge in mind.

He chatted with Dakota Fanning (and wow, that was so cool), who was playing another major character. The film had something of an ensemble cast, though it wasn’t huge like the Lord of the Rings or anything.

“You’ve worked with Harry before, right?” Louis tried to say casually. He was a bit curious as to what Harry was like inside a working environment. Dakota nodded, smiling.

“Yeah, he’s really sweet, easy to work with, you know? The last time we were on the same set together, he managed to charm the entire production staff. He’s awesome, easy to talk to, especially because he relates really well to most actors.” Louis nodded. He had kind of expected it.

“You two must be similar in that, then,” he said. “I mean, you’ve both been working for most of your lives.” Dakota smiled in agreement before she leaned a bit to look past Louis.

“Oh hey, speak of the devil!” Louis turned around as Dakota moved to hug the tall figure behind him. “Have you two met?” she asked, gesturing between Louis and Harry.

Louis met Harry’s eyes (and they were still so green, Louis had almost hoped he exaggerated their color in his drunken haze), which twinkled in amusement. He wasn't quite sure how to answer Dakota. Did a drunken dance in a club count as meeting someone? Luckily Harry answered before Louis could stutter out something.

"We've been briefly acquainted," he said, sending a wink Louis's way. He kind of wanted to swoon and he could see how Harry built his reputation as a charmer.

The three talked for a while about the script and what they were looking forward to. Dakota got called away by another actor (the girl seemed to know everyone), leaving Louis and Harry in a surprisingly not-too-awkward silence. Harry was the first to speak, and he was blunt about the point of the conversation.

"Look, I think you're fit. But I'm not really looking for a relationship right now," he started.

"Neither am I," Louis quickly interjected. "They're a bit messy, and, to be honest, I don't want to have to deal with character bleed affecting us." Louis was the type of person to immerse himself in his acting. He was better at separating the actor from the character than some people, but acting always came with the risk of character bleed. His and Harry's character didn't have the friendliest relationship, and he didn't want that to affect any of his interactions with Harry. Harry nodded his agreement.

"I get it. Still, I think we both remember last week pretty well," he said with a knowing smirk. Louis fought to keep the blush from rising past his neck. "And I don't want everything we do to have a 'what if' attached to it." They held eye contact and Louis was mesmerized by the emotions swimming in Harry's eyes. At that moment, he would have agreed with anything Harry told him. "So one day," he continued, lowering his voice a bit and leaning in, "when we're both ready for a relationship, I think we should be ready to try." Louis fought the urge to move closer to Harry and took a deep breath.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we'll call ourselves friends for now. But I want to get to know you better so that maybe..." Louis couldn't help but step closer to Harry, who lowered his head as Louis tilted his up. "Maybe there won't be any 'what ifs' between us." Louis closed his eyes as he let Harry's voice wash over him. He nodded just once before speaking.

"Yeah. Okay." Harry's face split into a wide grin (and he looked so boyish, so different from just moments ago) that Louis couldn't help but return.

"So, then, want to go get something to eat later?"

\--

 Watching Harry work was an experience all in itself. Louis couldn’t really focus on what Harry was doing when they had scenes together, but he liked to watch other parts of the film shot whenever he could. It was a habit he kept up from earlier parts of his career.

Louis wasn’t one for mimicking other actors’ methods or styles. Every actor, every person, was different. What might work for one actor might work for another, but it wouldn’t be the best method. There wasn’t one perfect end-all, be-all for how to act. But there were small tips and tricks other actors used that could help Louis develop his own style, something he needed to fast-track when he shot to fame after his Oscar. So he watched the actors he worked with, saw how they dealt with their job. Even if he didn’t need to do it anymore, Louis still loved to see other people who loved his art just as much as he did.

But he was a little relieved he hadn’t worked with Harry in his earlier years, because he might have thrown away his technique like last season’s wardrobe. It was _captivating_ , watching Harry. Louis could see the moment he became his character, could see him slip into another life and cocoon himself in a lifetime of different memories. He stepped into another skin and sewed it back up seamlessly. A completely different aura surrounded him, making him seem like a complete _stranger_ to Louis.

Harry Styles was born to act, and he proved it with every movement.

Seeing him switch back to Harry was jarring, though. One second there was Aaron Halford, morally ambiguous leader of a team of equally morally ambiguous geniuses, and a blink later, Harry Styles stood in his place. Louis felt like he was getting whiplash.

The cast and crew broke for lunch and Louis waited for Harry to change out of Aaron’s clothes. On a lot of production, the first day was a bit more lax to ease in any newbies. Also, it always seemed as if there was plenty of time to shoot at the beginning, then the end came closer and everyone started rushing and running around like chickens that had lost not only their heads but their wings and half their feathers as well.

Harry met Louis with a relaxed smile and said, “I’m fucking starving, how about you?” Louis laughed before nodding.

They sat down in a small café nearby that wasn’t too populated, so the chance they would be interrupted by fans was less likely.

“I’m really glad we started off in London,” Louis said. “Leaves me with less jet-lag overall.” Choosing to stay in London wasn’t the best option for Louis. A lot of actors chose to move permanently to Los Angeles, or at least move to America since shooting was all but exclusively there (Louis did own a house over there). He couldn’t bear to leave England though. It was difficult enough moving out of Doncaster, away from his family and friends, even with Perrie in tow. Plus, he’d grown to love the city, and he didn’t want to have to learn and get accustomed to a whole new area.

Harry made a noise of agreement before replying, “People keep telling me to stay in LA, but I don’t think I could leave London so easily. My mum’s the same – she wanted me and my sister to spend our time in England. We ended up in America a lot, though, especially when I started getting into film.” Louis quirked his lips. The words flowed from Harry’s lips easily as if it were completely normal for someone to spend their childhood constantly switching between continents for a career. “I’m attached to London though, I love it here,” Harry added, echoing Louis’s earlier thoughts. Louis sipped at the tea he had ordered.

“Did you always know you would end up acting?” he asked. Harry seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering hesitantly.

“Yeah, I suppose…it was expected. Not by my mum!” he quickly said. “But by everyone else. It’s attached to the name, you know?” Louis supposed the Styles legacy did carry a lot of baggage.

“Your sister’s a model, right? It’s not like you would have ended the Styles dynasty,” Louis joked. Harry smiled softly.

“Yeah, Gemma. Her modeling made it easier to stay in London, actually. I think I would’ve ended up acting even without the expectation – I love it too much right now to even consider a different outcome.” Louis tried to keep his smile from being too wide. Harry was genuine and honest, something that was rarely found in the film industry. “What about you? How did you end up here?” he asked, referring to Louis, and taking a bite of his sandwich.

“I never really considered seriously acting when I was younger. I’d been in a few plays or commercials, but I never expected it to go anywhere. I met Perrie – she’s my agent now, but is also my best friend – in sixth form, and I guess she was the one who pushed me to go for it. I’m thankful she did,” he said, meeting the younger man’s eyes. “I’ve got four sisters plus my mum, and well…” A significant look passed from Louis to Harry, and his green eyes showed understanding.

The two continued their conversation through lunch and on the way back to set, never running out of topics. The words traveled back and forth easily between them. Harry’s presence was comfortable to Louis (a rarity because it usually took a while for Louis to open up to anyone) and he found himself sharing information that, among his friends, only Zayn, Niall, and Perrie knew. If anything, he would at least find a good friend in Harry.

(And he wasn’t ready for a relationship, but dear god, he wanted to be.)

\--

A week went by ridiculously quickly, in Louis’s opinion. He had begun to get re-accustomed to the strict schedule shooting entailed. He no longer felt like dying at the end of his session with his personal trainer, Mike, which was a relief. And his days were filled with Harry, a situation that was probably both a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, he knew he didn’t have the time or attention to maintain a new relationship and film a movie at the same time (he could barely keep up a relationship during his breaks – probably why they tended to end badly). But then there was Harry. Harry, with his angelic face and indescribable talent and a personality that matched Louis thought for thought…it was the sweetest torture in existence.

Especially considering where Louis was right then. The cast and production staff all decided to take a night out to celebrate a successful first week. But what was meant to be relaxing also, to Louis, served as a reminder of his first meeting with Harry. Because Harry looked _good_. He was in a plain white t-shirt (it hung low and Louis could see most of his swallow tattoo, Harry’s necklace hanging over it and _fuck_ but he really wanted to see even more) and black jeans ( _tight_ they were molded to his legs that just went on and on).

Louis’s only real option for dealing with _that_ was the age-old fallback for everyone.

Get _really drunk_.

Which he pretty much achieved. At least to the point where going over to Harry on the dance floor (his sinful, long body moving to the dance beat) seemed like a good idea. Louis danced up to him and put his hands on Harry’s chest, toying with his paper plane necklace. Harry’s hands (huge, they dwarfed Louis’s own) immediately came up around Louis’s hips, as if it were reflex.

“You having fun?” Harry asked with a twinkle in his eye. Louis closed his eyes and rested his head against Harry’s chest, nodding.

“You’re so tall…” he slurred. He felt the rumble in Harry’s chest that meant he was laughing as Harry’s hands squeezed him a bit tighter.

“I think you’re a bit drunk, Lou.” Louis didn’t bother replying and just pressed closer to Harry, leaning on him so he didn’t have to waste energy trying to stand up on his own.

“I should probably tell you,” he muttered into Harry’s chest, “I get sleepy when I’m drunk sometimes.”

“At least you’re aware of it,” Harry quipped. Louis lifted his head a bit and kissed the side of Harry’s neck.

“I’m _very_ aware of some things right now,” he said, thinking of how Harry’s body fit his and Harry’s hands that were slowly slipping downwards (and his hips that Louis may or may not have been grinding against a bit). He felt Harry tense a bit and weakly try to pull away, but Louis tugged on his shirt to keep him close, opening his eyes to look into Harry’s (they were shining with amusement and happiness and a little bit of something else).

“Come on, let’s get you home.” Harry closed a hand around Louis’s wrist and led him off the dance floor and towards the exit. Louis leaned towards him and Harry’s hand slipped into his. They left the nightclub like that, and even as Louis saw the flashes from the camera, he knew the picture would turn up in the next day’s magazines.

He couldn’t really bring himself to care.

They slipped into a taxi and Harry told the driver Louis’s address (he’d already been there three times over the past week – once to discuss the script and two more times to just hang out). Louis buried his face into Harry’s neck (he was half on top of him anyways) and smiled.

“Thanks, Haz.” Harry smiled at him and used his free hand to massage Louis’s neck. His other was still attached to Louis’s hand.

The taxi pulled up to its destination and Harry paid the driver (against Louis’s protests) before getting out, fingers still tangled up in Louis’s. Louis fumbled a bit when he tried to disable the security system and open the door with one hand, so he relented and took his hand out of Harry’s (Harry compensated by hugging Louis from behind, an action that might have just distracted Louis even more). Once they were inside the house, Harry helped Louis up the stairs into his bedroom. Immediately Louis fell on top of the covers. Harry took off the older man’s shoes and arranged Louis’s limbs into a more comfortable position (he would probably appreciate it come morning). Louis felt a hand brush his fringe out of his face. Soft lips gently touched his forehead.

“Goodnight Louis.” Louis mumbled something that could’ve been a coherent response if he weren’t falling asleep.

He dreamt of an angel with dark, curly hair and playful green eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear not everything in this story happens in a club.  
> Follow afbitr.tumblr.com for news and updates :)


End file.
